They're similar to the cheesecake-filled cupcakes I made last summer... but instead of baking the cheesecake in the centers, it's spooned right on top of the cake batter, giving it a fancy-looking top that doesn't need to be frosted and a creamy rich, cheesecake center.

And... they look like muffins. So you can totally get away with eating cake for breakfast.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with foil liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips; set aside.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking, and salt until combined. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir together until thoroughly combined.

Fill muffin liners 1/3 full with batter. Top with a heaping spoonful of cheesecake filling. The more the better!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Let's be honest: sometimes real life is not pulling twelve perfect chocolate cupcakes out of your oven.

Sometimes it's wanting cake for breakfast, following a recipe's bake-time exactly, and still ending up with cupcakes that burn on the sides and bottoms before they're done in the middle. It's the worst... because no matter how much vanilla frosting you layer on top, once the bottoms are burnt, the whole flavor of the cupcake is ruined.

Can I share a baking tip I recently learned?

All those cupcakes need is a little extra something between the baking pan and the heat source to protect the bottoms and sides from burning while the centers finish baking. You could set your pan on a flat baking sheet, but I always have trouble with burnt sides and edges so I was taking no chances.

I double-panned it!

And it worked!

Simply set your filled cupcake pan inside an empty cupcake pan and bake for the normal amount of time.

And boom. Consistent, perfectly-baked, unburnt cupcakes. Seriously, this simple tip has taken all the stress and uncertainty out of baking cupcakes. Which is the way it should be.

And if you're thinking cake for breakfast... the answer is yes. Always.